Sage 50 vs Sage 50c

Sage 50 vs Sage 50c

As you may have heard, Sage have upgraded their Sage 50 accounting package to Sage 50c. However the upgrade also required added costs that can make the decision to upgrade even more challenging. So you will need to know all the important information to make the right choice.

Sage 50

Sage 50 is a localised solution. This means you can only access the data from the computer that it is stored in. This makes the information under your control so is likely to be more secure than if it is online however it makes working with the accountant very awkward and cost the company time, profit and effort. This is because the data within Sage needs to be exported then sent it to the accountant and while they are working on it, no real-time data can be accessed otherwise it will be erased when the accountant’s file is imported back into your local sage account. On the plus side Sage 50 comes with all the usual accounting capabilities such as creating invoices, making payments and payroll capabilities

Sage 50c

Sage 50c has some features new to Sage. Cloud storage, this is the main new feature that was brought out and it allows the user to access sage on the move or from a different device. This requires Sage being installed onto that device and having a good internet connection to access the data. This saves a lot of time when working with the company accountant as it saves exporting from one device and importing it to another; the data is stored on Sage Drive which can be accessed from any location. This makes interactions with an accountant much easier as it doesn’t disrupt normal work as both of you can be on the system at one time which is one of the downfalls to the normal Sage 50. Instead of having to pay an upfront payment like with Sage 50, Sage 50c is a monthly subscription starting at £20 for two users and goes up to £125 per month for 20, each package containing different features and add-ons.

Overall, both the Sage 50 and Sage 50C packages have their advantages. Sage 50 is good for a smaller company that doesn't need their accounting to be mobile. However for a larger company that has accountant on the go continuously Sage 50C is the ideal package. If I was in the situation to decide whether to upgrade or stick with the package I would definitely upgrade as Sage 50C is much more flexible and smooth when interacting with an accountant.